Why? Or spells vs. launchers

[Fendell Orcbane]

I'm currently running a 40th lvl mage and sadly enough his strongest attacks are by far ego ammo. I'm sort of disappointed by that. I'd think that his spells should be far better or at least just as good. Of course I don't have Kelek's yet so I could be way off here.

[Derakon]

Spells are infinitely replenishable, always available once you find the book, always hit, and (depending on the spell) can hit anything in LOS regardless of what's in the way. In exchange, you have to expend a resource that is useful for other things and, in the short-term, limited.

Ego ammo is finite, you have to find it first, it won't automatically hit, and it can't ever go around obstacles. In exchange, you can fire it all until you run out without worrying about using up other resources.

I dunno, are these balanced? I'd say that if you favor using ego-ammo in all situations, then ego-ammo is too common. But I don't have a problem with saving up useful ego ammo for important fights and using your spells as an entirely acceptable substitute the rest of the time.

[PowerDiver]

Your dumps are 3.1.2v2. Ego ammo is now considerably weaker than in your games, doing only a bit more than half as much damage. That should make it more comparable to spells.

Mages are more about the utility spells than about doing massive damage to a single monster. They are still very powerful once they get to CL35 and have MB6 for rift, typically much better IMO than any other class. The hard part is surviving that long.

[Fendell Orcbane]

Your dumps are 3.1.2v2. Ego ammo is now considerably weaker than in your games, doing only a bit more than half as much damage. That should make it more comparable to spells.

Mages are more about the utility spells than about doing massive damage to a single monster. They are still very powerful once they get to CL35 and have MB6 for rift, typically much better IMO than any other class. The hard part is surviving that long.

What do you like about rift? Also what other utility spells other than TO and the detect spells do you like? I ask because I had never really considered how great TO was until I got on the forum. So maybe I'm missing out on some other great stuff that I lack the imagination to use.

[Sirridan]

What do you like about rift? Also what other utility spells other than TO and the detect spells do you like? I ask because I had never really considered how great TO was until I got on the forum. So maybe I'm missing out on some other great stuff that I lack the imagination to use.

Well rift does gravity damage, and if you've ever been hit by gravity hounds, you'll know it can randomly teleport the monster a short distance away. So rifting, especially in a corridor or vault can push the monster away while doing damage, and when it comes back to attack you, you can just rift it again.

Plus I believe it is a beam.

[PowerDiver]

Would you rather try to kill a storm wyrm with (a) a mage with 150 hp and +5 speed and rElec or (b) a warrior with 500 hp and +5 speed and rElec? The answer is (a). A double breath will kill the warrior. The mage can cast haste and resistance and will not be killed by a single breath.

One of the plusses of rift is that you can stand behind an open door and rift away. If you get hit by a ranged attack, close the door to heal. Phase and heal can be dangerous if phase may land you still in LOS, but closing a door is safe. More generally, you can choose your spot and stay put, healing when rift blips your foe out of reverse LOS.

Rift is also great against summoner uniques such as Ancalagon. Rift down a corridor, and if he summons keep rifting. Some summonees will go out of the corridor, perhaps some on the other side of you and you can teleport them away without losing your position against the main foe.